A young Cuban identified as Dean Pablo Hernández (@deanpablohernandez13) recorded an emotional video on TikTok to reflect on the pain of family separation caused by immigration, prompted by the birthday of his younger brother: it was the third consecutive birthday he spent without being able to hug him.
"I'm going to record this video so that when I watch it in the future, I can laugh at this moment. I waited until I finished crying because I don’t like being on camera while crying, and even less so, I don’t want to make anyone feel sorry for me," she explains at the beginning of the nearly three-minute clip.
The reason was clear and painful: "Yesterday was my little brother's birthday, and this is the third birthday I spend away from him, unable to see him, give him a simple hug, or give him the simplest gift in the world to deliver it in person."
From that point on, Dean transforms his private pain into a message aimed at those who have their family close by and, according to him, are unaware of that privilege. He calls them "millionaires who don't realize," clarifying that he is not talking about money.
His advice is practical and everyday: inviting mom to lunch, playing for a while with your brother, taking photos with the family any day and not only on special occasions. "Appreciate when you can walk down the street holding her hand, when you can spend some time with your little brother playing, even if it’s just coloring in a book. Anything simple. That is worth gold, and you will remember it on the day you no longer have them."
Regarding the solitude of the emigrant, Dean is straightforward and unembellished: "We are in times where you are surrounded by many people, but at the end of the day, you are alone. And it's harsh for me to say it this way, but you are alone."
The video concludes with a reflection on what it means to be a man: "The more of a man you become, the more aware you have to be that a true man is one who fights every day for his family and takes pride in that."
Dean's testimony adds to other videos shared by Cuban émigrés on TikTok about the impact of family separation, especially on symbolic dates. Last week, another Cuban who returned after four years to surprise his mother accumulated over 77,800 views on the same platform.
This phenomenon occurs amid a deep migration crisis in Cuba. According to data from the National Office of Statistics and Information (ONEI) reported by Infobae, the island lost 245,264 inhabitants net due to migration in 2025, leaving its population at 9,434,593 people. Since 2021, over a million Cubans have left the country, fragmenting thousands of families and making reunions—when they happen—moments of immense emotional weight.
For many émigrés, returning to the island to visit their loved ones is difficult, while social media has become a space where this migratory grief is made public. As Dean warns in his video: "You will remember me the day you don't have them. The day you are on the other side of the world and you want to wake up, have your breakfast made while watching your mom, and she is not there."
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